[System Notice: Four-hour defense duration reached. Host, please evacuate immediately. If you happen to destroy the three research facilities currently under construction, mission completion will reach perfection. (What a wildly changing mission—Nightmare level, resolved under the outburst of a flat-chested loli! You really are the protagonist, huh?)]
Smashing the head of the final zombie—nicknamed "Tank" by Chu Chu and the others—Chu Lian surveyed the thinning horde around her before turning back toward the defensive line.
As she walked, she extended a strand of spiritual energy into her system space to check the mission results.
[Special Mission — Siege of the Dead: Four-hour defense completed. All members safe. Zombies killed: 31,504 / 10,000. Exceeds standard completion for Normal level. Meets criteria for Perfect rating. Only the destruction of the three enemy research facilities remains to complete the mission and receive rewards.]
"It's finally over…" she sighed softly. Looking back, these four hours had been the most intense four hours of her life.
An endless sea of zombies, cunning Spirit-level evolved undead, and a group of untested girls—facing such hopeless odds, they had somehow managed to endure.
And then came the colossal zombie, which had pushed them to the brink of despair.
If not for her "Innate Spiritual Body" completing its first phase at just the right moment, slightly raising all her stats...
And if not for her unyielding resolve awakening the hidden power within, further increasing each attribute by two points…
She never would have reached the threshold of High Spirit level—barely stepping across it to activate the Divine Spirit Art. That breakthrough had granted her powerful techniques and the Battle Soul, instantly pushing her to the Spirit peak. Without that, their defensive line would have long since been reduced to ruins.
The most difficult battle was undoubtedly the one after slaying the colossal zombie—when she faced Hiru and the Tírnas-possessed Anna. Though the fight was short, it tested her psychological endurance far more than any previous battle.
But the most perilous moment of all had been her confrontation with one of the most powerful beings in the dimensional cosmos—Tírnas, the Reaper of Tyrael. Each word, each gesture, had been a cautious step on the edge of death. A single wrong response could have led to an entirely different—and likely fatal—outcome.
Still, she had made it through. She had led the girls through the storm and survived together with them. That alone was enough for her.
The blue spiritual armor covering her body began to crack with each step she took, the fractures spreading like a web before dissolving into motes of pale blue and white light, drifting away into the gloomy sky.
"Mommy, Anna missed you so much!" As soon as she stepped back into camp, Anna—who had been sitting on Hiru's massive head—pouted and leapt into her arms, wrapping her small hands around Chu Lian's neck.
Holding the little girl tightly, Chu Lian smiled gently and kissed her forehead. "Did Anna behave while I was gone?"
Anna shook her head in her embrace. "Uh-huh! Anna was very good," she said, her warm breath brushing against Chu Lian's exposed collarbone, tickling her slightly.
"That's good to hear." Of course, Chu Lian didn't believe her for a second. She was well aware of the girl's mischievous antics earlier—but she chose to let it slide. Anna's mind was still that of a four- or five-year-old. Chu Lian knew that with a child like that, the key was balance—too little discipline led to chaos, but too much could crush their spirit.
That was exactly why, even though she knew Anna had shown hostility toward Inori and the others, she hadn't called her out on it. And why, before heading out, she had left Anna behind despite being perfectly capable of taking her along.
With Chu Lian's skills and Anna's unique nature, bringing her along posed no danger at all. Leaving her behind, however, was a deliberate punishment.
And though it might seem mild, for a little girl who was extremely attached to her mother, being separated for so long was an agonizing punishment—especially for someone like Anna.
When Chu Lian returned, she saw Anna sitting alone atop Hiru's massive head. Since being separated from her mother, Anna had refused to approach anyone else. Her deep wariness toward this unfamiliar world left her clinging only to the one presence she knew—Hiru.
Perhaps, in her innocent and half-aware mind, Anna had begun to understand why her mother had punished her this way. That was why she had remained so quiet while perched on Hiru's head—watching from afar as her mother fought, wanting to go to her but too afraid to move.
"Mommy… Mommy, Anna won't be naughty anymore… Please don't leave Anna again, okay?" After holding her for a while, Chu Lian felt a damp warmth on her chest. Hearing Anna's soft sobs by her ear, she gently lifted the girl's small face. Those big black eyes were filled with tears and fear, and Chu Lian's heart ached at the sight.
"Be good. As long as Anna gets along well with everyone, Mommy will never do that again. Mommy loves you too much to ever leave you behind," she whispered, kissing the tears from Anna's cheeks and rubbing her own face gently against hers. She spoke in such tender tones that she didn't even notice her self-reference had naturally shifted from "I" to "Mommy."
"Mm… Mommy…" Even with Chu Lian's gentle comfort, the fear in Anna's heart didn't fade. Her whimpers were soft, pitiful—like a wounded cub abandoned in the wilderness. The sound was heartbreaking.
"It's okay… Mommy's right here." Chu Lian stroked her back softly. She knew her actions earlier had left a deep scar on Anna's young heart—but she had to do it.
Tírnas hadn't entrusted Anna to her merely for protection. She wanted Chu Lian to guide Anna, to give her an environment where she could grow into a kind, capable person.
So even though Anna's earlier behavior was just childish mischief, Chu Lian had steeled her heart to punish her. She couldn't allow Anna to think that no matter what she did, her mother would never get angry. If left unchecked, she might grow spoiled and willful.
"Big Sis is so gentle…" Chu Chu whispered, unable to hide the envy in her gaze as she watched the "mother and daughter" pair embrace.
"Chu Lian's method may seem harsh, but it's for her own good," Liu Yanran murmured softly. Watching the scene, she began to understand why Chu Lian had acted as she did. Yet she couldn't quite find the right words—so she simply sighed.
"Inori, doesn't Chu Lian seem more and more like a real mother now?" Li Xiu'er tugged lightly at Inori's sleeve. "Do you think… from now on, she'll be more careful—for everyone's sake?"
"She's maturing," Inori nodded, her expression softening. "Lian's really learning to take responsibility."
"Mommy, I'm hungry…" After crying for a while, Anna finally lifted her head from Chu Lian's arms and spoke in a small, pitiful voice.
Because she kept her head down, Chu Lian didn't notice the faint dark runes flickering within Anna's eyes. Hearing her words, Chu Lian patted herself down, then checked her system's storage space—only to look helplessly toward the others.
"I've got a little food left, but not much. I don't know if it'll be enough for Anna," she said. The girls all shook their heads, except for Li Xiu'er, who rummaged through her sleeve and pulled out a small package.
"Uh… peach crisps?" Chu Lian blinked. The packaging was clearly Chinese—the same snack they'd been given on the plane.
"I must have stuffed it into my pocket earlier and forgot about it. I didn't even realize it was still there until you mentioned food," Li Xiu'er admitted shyly, cheeks reddening. She half-expected the others to tease her for being a glutton.
In the past, whenever they traveled, the girls would stock up on their favorite snacks to eat during flights. Once they landed, they'd go straight to restaurants or hotels, so none of them ever carried food around.
This time, knowing they'd be fighting, they hadn't prepared any extras. In Chu Lian's mind, the battle would end quickly—either in victory or in death. There had been no need to worry about meals.
She had calculated everything perfectly—except for this. Barely any time had passed, and already her newest "family member" was hungry.
Carefully, Chu Lian unwrapped the peach crisps and broke off small pieces, feeding them gently to Anna's lips.
She wasn't worried about her hands being dirty. During battle, her spiritual field blocked all dust, and even now her hands were covered by a thin layer of spiritual energy, forming invisible gloves. With her unique constitution, her body was probably cleaner than most sterilized instruments in the world. Once her Innate Spiritual Body fully matured, she might well become the purest being in existence.
Catching the scent of food near her lips, Anna instinctively opened her mouth. Even though she had never tasted such a thing before, she began to eat quietly—but she never lifted her head. It was as if she were deliberately hiding her face, not wanting Chu Lian to see the change in her eyes.
"It's not enough… it tastes so plain…" The peach crisps were few in number. Her hunger was understandable—but what else could they offer her to eat?
"Hey, you airheaded Lian'er," Ayase's helpless voice echoed in Chu Lian's mind. "Didn't you once exchange three types of edible items? They're among the few foods you can still redeem. You've got enough Integrity Points now—just exchange a bunch for her."
"Pfft, Ayase, are you kidding me? How could I possibly give her those things? Even I don't dare touch them! What if she eats them and gets sick?" Chu Lian instantly knew which three Ayase meant—the Misuzu Kamio's Juice, Aunt Akiko's Jam, and Sanae Furukawa's Bread she had redeemed during her first deadly encounter back home. Those so-called "foods" were practically EX-tier weapons disguised as snacks.
"Trust me," Ayase said quickly. "If you don't feed her something soon, there'll be serious trouble. She really is Tírnas's daughter… what a troublesome constitution." Her last few words were muttered under her breath, too quietly for Chu Lian to catch.
"Well… alright then." Chu Lian didn't fully understand Ayase's urgency, but she had long since learned that Ayase's advice always proved correct in the end. Without hesitation, she opened the system's exchange menu and located the items:
[Aunt Akiko's Jam: Taste it and you'll understand. Cost: 5,000 Integrity Points.]
[Sanae Furukawa's Bread: Taste it and you'll understand. Cost: 5,000 Integrity Points.]
[Misuzu Kamio's Juice: Taste it and you'll understand. Cost: 5,000 Integrity Points.]
Spending a total of 150,000 Integrity Points, she redeemed ten of each, storing them in her system space. Then she took out a bottle of Misuzu Kamio's Juice, inserted a straw, and handed it to Anna. "Here, Anna—try this. You drink by sucking here," she explained patiently.
Just to be safe, she started with the least dangerous of the three. A bit of juice should be less lethal than jam or bread, right?
Anna took the straw obediently and began to sip.
"Wait—seriously?" Chu Lian blinked in disbelief as the girl calmly drank the entire bottle.
These foods didn't harm the body—they assaulted the soul through sheer flavor. Even Chu Lian, who had reached Heaven-level strength, couldn't withstand them without sealing off her sense of taste. Yet Anna… drank it like it was nothing.
Could her taste buds be dead? No—that couldn't be, she'd just complained that the peach crisps were too bland. Then what was going on? Was it because she was the daughter of a god?
"It's so good, Mommy! But I'm still hungry—can I have more?" Anna looked up at her, eyes bright and innocent, the dark runes that had glimmered moments ago now gone.
"I swear, I'm going to become the most sadistic mom in existence…" Chu Lian muttered under her breath, pulling out another bottle of juice and combining the jam with a piece of bread. Since Anna showed no adverse reaction, the other two shouldn't pose any problem either.
Still, a part of her couldn't help wondering just how much this little girl could actually eat—and what secrets lay hidden behind that cherubic smile.
"Thank you, Mommy! I'm digging in!" Anna chirped happily, taking the jam-covered bread with both hands. Her eyes curved into delighted crescents as she took a big bite, smiling radiantly. "It's so yummy!"
The girls nearby watched the "mother and daughter" scene in silence, utterly dumbfounded.
They had completely forgotten that the battlefield outside was still crawling with zombies.